Google may come to the rescue of iOS 6 Maps users — if Apple will let it [Updated]

With iOS 6, Apple severed its most visible ties with Google, dropping the YouTube app altogether and replacing the Maps app with one it developed from scratch.

Google released its own YouTube app for iOS last week, and it’s currently the most popular free app on the iTunes App Store. But those who’ve pulled the trigger on an iOS 6 upgrade are left with Apple’s Maps app, andthey’re not very happy about it – even though it has cool features like 3D buildings in big cities and turn-by-turn navigation (though only on the most recent Apple hardware).

The complaints range from businesses, institutions, roads and entire cities being in the wrong place, to a lack of detail about places of interest. There are problems with ground imagery and loading performance. And some of these are not just simple glitches – some are major errors.

Take, for example, the farm in Ireland that’s called Airfield. The Apple Maps app drops an airport designation on it. Appropriately, the Irish Minister of Justice thinks that’s a dangerous mistake.

I know on occasion mistakes can be made and I am surprised to discover that Airfield, which is in the centre of my constituency in Dundrum, has, in Apple’s new operating system iOS 6 maps application, been designated with the image of an aircraft. Airfield, a 35 acre estate with working farm, formal gardens and café is of course a famous and immensely popular, important local amenity. Clearly the designation is not only wrong but is dangerously misleading in that it could result in a pilot, unfamiliar with the area, in an emergency situation and without other available information, attempting a landing.

There are other map programs for iOS that you can use instead, of course, such as the excellent Waze navigation app. But the question arises: If Google could offer a replacement YouTube app, why isn’t there are a version of Google Maps for iOS?

Google reportedly has submitted a maps app for iOS 6 to Apple, and is awaiting approval. 9to5Mac cites a Guardian story, but also adds its own detail:

Separately, we heard Google has had a separate version of its iOS Maps app for quite a while that goes back years. Additionally, we learned an updated iOS 6 version has been submitted to Apple. It is awaiting approval, however, and that could take some time. It took a year for Apple to approve Google Voice, for instance, and Apple could technically claim “it duplicates a native service” even though there are quite a few mapping apps already in the App Store like Google Earth. Last month, it looked as if Apple were putting an update to Google Voice that featured Siri-like functionality through purgatory.

Apple’s in a tough position here. If it doesn’t approve the Google Maps app, it runs the risk of looking like a bully. Sure, it could deny the app based on developer rules forbidding software that duplicates basic iOS functions, but there are a slew of other map apps out there already.

If Apple does approve the Google Maps app, and the app runs circles around Apple’s own – as it’s likely to do, given the quality of the Android version – then Apple comes off looking lame against its fiercest competitor.

Apple responded to the criticism today by telling AllThingsD that, the more people use the app, the better it will get:

Apple urged patience. “Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service,” said spokeswoman Trudy Miller. “We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn-by-turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

Although iOS 6 adoption is remarkably high for being out just a day – some estimates put it at above 15 percent – I’ve talked to many folks who say they’ll keep iOS 5 on their iPhones and iPads until Maps is usable, or Google delivers its own replacement. As the furor continues, the number of holdouts could become another embarrassment for Apple.